


Dust and Daylight

by Inkwasher (inkstainedwretch)



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, post-ME3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-01-07
Packaged: 2018-05-12 10:59:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5663707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkstainedwretch/pseuds/Inkwasher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tali and Legion, after all the wars have ended, rebuilding their home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dust and Daylight

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Polski available: [Pył i świt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14157378) by [Regalia1992](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Regalia1992/pseuds/Regalia1992)



> Done for omegastation's Non-Shepard Ships Week on Tumblr.

When the Reapers had fallen and their fleets had touched down on Rannoch, the work to rebuild their homeworld had truly begun. With the geth now working alongside them instead of below them, their progress was breathtaking. Tali would arrive early in the morning to the site where the new communications compound was being built, making sure the construction matched the plans they had drawn up, and she didn’t head home until long after sunset. 

On the third day, she walked past Legion, his platform inactive and recharging in the sun, and it finally hit her that she hadn’t ever seen him leave the construction site.

“Legion,” she asked him later, when the sun was down and nearly everyone had gone home, “where do you live?”

“On Rannoch.” 

He didn’t turn his attention away from the plating he was fastening over the cables that ran through the walls. She set a hand on his arm and lowered it, feeling the grit of sand that had worked its way into the seams and crevices of his platform.

“That isn’t what I meant.” 

The plates of his face flared out, then settled back into place. The two small ones on top began to shuffle, and perhaps a year ago, before he called himself “I”, before she could breathe unfiltered air, she would have thought he was building a consensus. 

Now that those days are gone, she knows he’s trying to avoid the question.

“This platform does not require external shelter the way organics do.” 

“But it does require maintenance.” Tali’s eyes traveled up his arm, noticing a mildly corroded joint in his wrist. “You’ve been so helpful, but if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to keep this up.”

“...acknowledged.”

His optic faced the ground, and Tali remembered him telling Shepard that geth had no concept of shame. Legion wasn’t as good at lying as he thought he was.

“Here,” she let go of his arm, “come back with me, and we’ll get you patched up.” 

He didn’t reply, but he did follow her, which was good enough. 

It took both of them to wash the dust from his body, Legion unfastening layers of armor and detaching cables to reveal more and more of it. She got her omni-tool out while she was at it and filed down the rough edges of the hole in his chest. No sense in him accidentally tearing something while he was hanging up cables. 

The more she worked, the more she could tell that Legion’s repair to his own platform had been quick and minimal. The plates of N7 armor that had once been Shepard’s were mainly there to keep his shoulder together, and there were torn cables inside his body cavity that had been fused shut at one end to make them waterproof. 

“You should really take better care of yourself,” she muttered, not really thinking about what she said.

“System maintenance has been adequate,” he almost sounded defensive. “Non-essential repairs have been deemed a lower priority than mission objectives.”

“Legion, the war is over,” she sighed.

“Yes,” he nodded, “but our mission is not yet complete.”

She finished installing the new wrist joint, but she didn’t let go of his hand.

“What mission is that?”

“We seek to restore the homeworld,” he said, “to create an environment where creators and geth can both live.”

She smiled, knowing that when he said “we”, he meant himself and every other geth that had worked with her to start building a life for themselves on Rannoch. It made sense, that he would work so tirelessly, given his history. When he was sent outside the Veil, he was the only geth designed to observe and communicate with organics. The fate of his people must have been heavy on his shoulders. She knew the feeling. 

“That’s what I’m working for too,” she said, “but that mission is bigger than either of us. Even with everyone on Rannoch working together, it’s still going to take time. It’s not just up to you.” 

“I understand,” Legion nodded. “However, I do not see a reason to reduce the amount of time I spend working.” 

“It’s...” Tali took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to explain it. “There are things we need to work on, but everyone has food and power and a place to live. What we’re doing now is building onto a foundation. It’s alright if you take some time off ...it’s good for your soul.”

His plates flared again, and this time they stayed that way. After a second, she realized she was still holding onto his hand, but she didn’t feel like letting go. 

“I see,” he seemed to finally understand what she meant. “Thank you. If you have any suggestions for activities outside of work, I would appreciate them.” 

“I...ah,” she blinked a few times, not expecting this. “There’s a very pretty rock formation further into the canyon. I was going to go out walking tomorrow, if you wanted to join me.” 

“I would,” he nodded, and she swore she had _no idea_ why her face suddenly felt warm.

\--

The layers of compressed rock painted orange and grey stripes across the side of the canyon. A channel ran through them, winding and smooth, until it hit the canyon floor and vanished. 

“This is the formation?” He asked as they reached the smooth-worn stone. 

“M-hm,” she nodded. “The prevailing theory is it was made by rainfall, or perhaps a river that flooded.”

“It was neither.”

Tali jumped. It honestly hadn’t occurred to her that Legion might have seen it before; sometimes she forgot that the geth had a memory three centuries old.

“Oh?” She asked. “What was it, then?”

“It was the support structure of a geth compound,” he stepped forward, ran his fingers over the inside of the channel. “One of the first attempts to build a large-scale structure on the planet’s surface.” 

“Why isn’t it here?” 

“Digging the supports activated a set of buried explosives left by the creators,” he said softly. “Before the attempt was made, this canyon was significantly more narrow.”

“Keelah,” she whispered. “...are there any more of those buried explosives?”

“There are not,” Legion replied. “When the creator fleet first approached the Veil during the Reaper war, the geth took steps to see that they were defused or removed.”

“Before we went to war with you?” Tali came up to stand beside him. “Why did you do that?” 

“We were not under the impression that the admirals would declare war.” His optic swiveled over to her. “Your cooperation during the mission against the Collectors gave us the impression that the creators were more willing to negotiate peace than they had been previously.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. She felt like words would be inadequate, so instead she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, “for everything.”

She heard his face plates swiveling around again, but after a moment the warm weight of his arms pressed against her back. 

“You are welcome, Tali’Zorah,” his voice came from a speaker somewhere in his chest, resonating against her cheek.

“Just Tali,” she shook her head a little, feeling the warmth of sunlight and the warmth of Legion’s platform on either side of her.

“Very well,” Legion’s hand curled over one of her shoulders. “Thank you, Tali.”


End file.
